New at Reason

Julian Sanchez | January 23, 2006

Jonathan Rauch searches for the root causes of big-government conservatism.

Comments

|1.23.06 @ 12:39PM|#

Seems odd to not mention that under divided gov't we actually add 'dangerous' levels of surplus not long ago (built largely on a economic plan that passed previously with only Democratic votes), according to some prominent Republican/libertarian pundits.

|1.23.06 @ 12:58PM|#

I think Jonathan Rauch gives the Republicans too much credit for having a grand strategy. I think their shift is related to the increased influence of Evangelical Christians in the party. This bloc has no history nor affinity for fiscal conservatism, only social conservatism. They generally view social spending as a virtue, the giving of alms, which should be imposed by force upon the masses along with the virtues of chastity and obedience.

Couple this to their belief that the whole world can be "saved" through direct action, which has led us into trouble abroad, we end up with a welfare/warfare state that has no limits, fiscal, legal, or moral, on its will to dominate the lives of every living person.

|1.23.06 @ 1:12PM|#

Discretionary spending is 1/6 of spending? I know an easy way to eliminate 1/6 of needless government spending....

|1.23.06 @ 2:00PM|#

I think their shift is related to the increased influence of Evangelical Christians in the party. This bloc has no history nor affinity for fiscal conservatism, only social conservatism. They generally view social spending as a virtue, the giving of alms, which should be imposed by force upon the masses along with the virtues of chastity and obedience.

Bingo. One could add that a lot of these people were formerly Dixie or rust-belt Democrats. Bush's "compassionate conservativism" BS resonates quites easily with them.

|1.23.06 @ 3:09PM|#

I think Jonathan Rauch gives the Republicans too much credit for having a grand strategy. I think their shift is related to the increased influence of Evangelical Christians in the party..

I think this idea gets overstated too often. While there is no doubt that the Republicans pander to the Evangelical voting bloc, I think their lack of real fiscal conservatism is simply due to the fact that they're politicians and they're in power. In other words, now that there is no real opposition, touting fiscally conservative programs only hurts individual Republicans political careers.

As important as the Evangelicals are to the GOP, they can pander all they want and never lose the more general support of the smaller-government types, who view empty promises by Republicans as better than fufilled promises by Democrats. As long as the Democrats are out of power and refuse to modify their ideas, the Republicans will continue to spend regardless of the Christian voting bloc. Truthfully, Republicans could very well ignore the desires of their religious constituents, paying them only the lip-service they do fiscal restraint if they actually wanted to. After all, is an Evangelical going to vote for a Democrat?

In short, I believe that the Republican spending machine is not the result of some insidious, religious force, but a simple showing of politicians true colors brought about by a large shift in the balance of power.

Mike|1.23.06 @ 3:55PM|#

Truthfully, Republicans could very well ignore the desires of their religious constituents, paying them only the lip-service they do fiscal restraint if they actually wanted to. After all, is an Evangelical going to vote for a Democrat?

Which is exactly what Thomas Frank, et al have been saying is the Republican Plan all along. Where Thomas Frank gets it wrong is in arguing that the plan has always included some form of 100% pure free-market capitalism (which to him is bad), when the reality is the free-market has had little to do with it. It's all about stuffing the pockets of their friends in politics and business while screwing everyone else.

|1.23.06 @ 8:02PM|#

I currently reside in Alaska, undisputed home of pork and a true blue, umm Red state. The Republican expansion has very little to do with the Evangelical right and more to do with making constituents happy so they remain in power. All the Republican's have to do to keep the Evangelical right is condemn abortion, condemn drugs and tout the "righteousness" of war in Iraq and Palestine. In this state, all that has to be done is all of the above and "bringing home the bacon" to boot. Just look at daddy Stevens.

|1.23.06 @ 11:31PM|#

Seems that somewhere in recent months there was a thread discussing how Schwartzennager (how the HELL do you spell it anyway) had "failed" to govern a state that has become ungovern-able. The implication seemed to be that the failure was more with the state than the politician, in this case.

Somebody made the wry observation that nationally, we seemed to be headed in the same direction as California. Hurray for "democracy", in all its moral superiority.

At least until it hits the rocks. Once you get the majority living on some form of hand out or another, this "majority" is never going to vote to do away with it.

Not that I have a better solution. It's just that the western world's confidence in democracy has always seemed misplaced to me. Whatever pillars we ever had of a republic seem to have pretty well eroded away.

If only we had a "Reboot National Government Now" button.....

And don't somebody try and tell me "oh, you just have to write more letters to congress, and get out there and vote against the big spenders". That is never going to work until the majority is weaned of its handouts.

Dave W.|1.24.06 @ 6:23AM|#

The root cause of big gov't conservatism is its kneejerk adversity to serious military cuts. Because they increase the size of the military, they must also increase social spending so that they are not seen as overly militaristic.

If they could bring themselves to do the military cuts, then the social spending cuts would have fallen into place. They went a different way, increasing social spending to make military increases more palatable to the electorate. In other words, military boosters, like some (most?, all?) of Reason's writers, evince the blameful tude here.